Satiric philosopher and historian Cyril Northcote Parkinson (1909-1993) rose to international fame with his 1995 essay which lightheartedly revealed Parkinson's Law. The British scholar made this observation about time management while serving as an Army staff officer.

The phenomenon occurs every time-- the same assignment, whether due in a week or two weeks, will take the amount of time assigned to complete.

How do you not waste time, stay on task, and become more productive? By making Parkinson's Law work for you. Simply transform vague into a concrete by writing the task down and setting a realistic deadline for it.

"You can greatly increase your effectiveness if you simply give yourself a deadline for each task," advised management consultant Edwin C. Bliss in his book Getting Things Done (1995).

Schedule deadlines tightly. And make yourself accountable by sharing your deadline with others: "I'm going to finish this celebration on Parkinson's Law by April 15."